OPD: Man exposes himself to off-duty deputy, flees from police

Tuesday

May 13, 2014 at 2:15 PM

A man led police on a short pursuit Monday after they say he exposed himself to a female off-duty sheriff’s deputy at an Ocala motel.

By AUSTIN L. MILLERStaff writer

A man led police on a short pursuit Monday after they say he exposed himself to a female off-duty sheriff’s deputy at an Ocala motel.The man crashed the car and ran but eventually was caught by an Ocala Police Department officer.The suspect, Matthew Leon Holt, 22, of Ocala, faces several charges, including exposure of sexual organs, felony fleeing and eluding, and possession of cocaine, according to an OPD report.Officers were called to the Motel 6 at 3810 NW Blitchton Road after a Marion County sheriff’s deputy, who was off-duty, spotted a man with his pants down at his ankles. He was masturbating while looking at her.She called 911.As OPD officers responded, the man got in a black Dodge Durango and fled, according to the report.An officer and an MCSO K-9 deputy, who was in the area, followed the Dodge, which crashed into a utility pole. Power lines fell, and officers had to block the streets at Northwest 17th Place and Northwest 20th Court.Other officers gave chase. Officer Brennan Grady saw the man running in a pinkish Hawaiian-style shirt and white cargo-style pants, according to the report. The suspect’s pants were falling down, exposing his buttocks.The man kept running, despite Grady’s commands to stop, until the officer caught him.K-9 Officer Gerard T. King and his dog Kilo searched the car and recovered two baggies containing powder cocaine, according to the report. Holt was taken to Munroe Regional Medical Center as a precaution because officers felt he was acting strange.While at the hospital, a police officer saw him take a blue baggie from his right pocket and put it in his mouth, the report states. The officer removed another baggie from Holt’s pocket and the cocaine from his mouth. Holt remained at the hospital Tuesday in fair condition, an MRMC spokesperson said.Holt had been released from prison in December 2011 after serving time for possession of cocaine and selling cocaine within 1,000 feet of a place of worship, according to state records. Police said Holt’s driver’s license has been revoked three times for driving while license is suspended or revoked.